The World Gradually Unveiling Its Veil

Tuster's question immediately put everyone into deep thought.

Where do airships come from?

How did it fall?

Rein had actually thought about this question as early as when he first obtained Baron Morin's diary and learned about the existence of the Airship Wreckage.

Others might not find this feeling abrupt, but for transmigrators who had already discovered traces of extraterrestrial civilizations in their previous lives, it was not difficult to understand.

This airship must have come from a more advanced civilization.

Somewhere in the mist, perhaps there exists a more civilized nation.

However, the level of civilization will not be much higher.

Both being steam-powered Mechanical City, this unknown civilization that arrived by airship, according to Tuster's professional perspective, was only about fifty years ahead of their time.

It's higher than this era, not higher than Tuster.

The Six-Armed Mech that Tuster could create was twenty years ahead of its time.

But in reality, many of his ideas are far more advanced than the actual objects.

The reason he couldn't build many of the machines in his mind wasn't due to a lack of personal ability, but rather because he was limited by the broader context of the times.

Like Ilubeck, many of his biological theories are far ahead of their time, but due to limitations in research equipment, many of them remained at the theoretical stage.

The large-scale machinery that Tuster wanted to build also required large factories with high-precision hardware, rather than private workshops.

Therefore, Tuster understood the design principles of the airship's mechanics better Pierre and the other mechanics from the capital, Oma Imperial Capital. Many Super-tier Technology ordinary mechanics found completely incomprehensible, he could figure out after a little experimentation.

Tuster raised this question.

At this moment, Ilubeck produced a bone sample and shared his analysis, saying, "We found some human skeletons in the airship. Judging from the shape of the bones, the people in this airship's Mechanical City are not much different from us, even slightly shorter. But from the Gene Chain, I detected that the vast majority of people on the airship have twenty-nine Gene Chain! But strangely, their bone strength is generally low, whether they are Transcendent or Strength Extraordinary, they are all much lower than the fifth-tier beings we know of."

Upon hearing this, everyone gained a better understanding of the strength of the people on the mechanical airship; the vast majority of them were fifth-tier Transcendent!

For the humans of the Ice Ridge Wasteland, Fifth-tier Expert are extremely rare, top-tier Transcendent. But in that unknown civilization, their numbers seem to be quite substantial.

For some reason, their physical abilities are not as good as those of a fifth-order Transcendent as commonly understood.

Just as everyone was deep in thought, Ilubeck continued, "Over the years, I have been researching the effects of fog concentration on living organisms, and I have discovered a pattern: the concentration of fog is directly proportional to the physical strength of Transcendent."

He paused for a moment, then stated his conclusion. "Therefore, I have a conjecture. The people on that airship may have come from a region where the fog is very light, or even where there is no fog at all. That would explain why their bone strength is so much lower than that of the fifth-tier Transcendent in our Ice Ridge Wasteland."

This disparity immediately reminded everyone present of the difference between themselves and the strong Kolman Tribe warriors.

Even at the same rank, Kolman Warrior, who spend most of their time in the mist with their respiratory tracts exposed, are far stronger than Transcendent who wear gas masks!

Currently, on the Ice Ridge Wasteland, although the fog concentration varies in some areas, the difference is not large enough to make people feel that the fog concentration has any obvious effect on their bodies.

But now that the Black Tide has broken out, the Transcendent shrouded in the black mist have all felt a "leapfrog" increase in their cultivation efficiency.

Therefore, everyone immediately understood what Ilubeck meant.

The fog doesn't cover the entire world; the people on the airship most likely come from Beyond the Mist!

But here comes another question: why are all the corpses on the airship fifth-order?

At this point, science's ability to trace back to the source is fully demonstrated.

"This is a rib from a living corpse that lived 50,000 years ago."

At this moment, Ilubeck took out another piece of dark, skeletal remains and said, "Because of this Black Tide, some ancient corpses from distant times have come to the surface from underground. I have also tested a large number of samples and found that the Gene Chain of a few ancient human corpses exceeded thirty! But after they were resurrected, without exception, none of them exceeded the fifth rank."

Fifth-tier Expert has twenty-nine Gene Chain. Exceeding this number means those remains are beings beyond the fifth tier.

This made everyone's expressions increasingly solemn, and an idea that had troubled the world for many years unconsciously popped into their minds.

In the past, there were clearly beings among the Transcendent who could surpass the fifth rank, so why are there none now?

Although in this world "legend" is now the end of the road for the Transcendent, this land was once said to have given birth to powerful gods!

Rein has come into contact with many legendary powerhouses, but without exception, they all say that the Transcendent power of legends is as far removed from that of gods as clouds and mud.

Even advancing to the "Legendary" level requires a "Divine Power Crystal" formed from a trace of divine power left behind by the gods of yesteryear. One can imagine how powerful the gods must be.

The strongest in the world is only at the fifth rank, and the people on the airship that may have come from the world Beyond the Mist are also at the fifth rank.

A certain thought became clearer and clearer in everyone's minds, as if "the Fifth-tier Extraordinary" was a hurdle that restricted something.

All the conversations were translated by Wudo and given to the Great Shaman Mafat.

At that moment, the old man, who had been silent since the meeting began, suddenly spoke up, "I think some of the legends passed down from our ancestors in the Kolman Tribe can offer some insights into this issue."

When Wudo translated into the Common Tongue, everyone looked over with expressions of eager listening.

At this moment, Mafat said, "Our tribe exists to guard the temple of the Morogos God, but as everyone knows, the god is no longer on this land. Legend has it that during the time of Monkel, the 'Black Emperor' Moises ruled this land. Later, a great battle took place, and Moises and his Seventy-Two Divine Generals defeated and perished. Since then, this land has lost its light."

Kolman's legends are shrouded in mystery, much like the prophecy of the "Black Tide."

Does the phrase "the earth has lost its light" refer to the fog that shrouds the land?

So the reason why the Monkell Civilization suddenly stopped was also because of war?

Everyone understood: the Black Emperor had been defeated.

That means there is a victor!

As is widely known, the lineage of all Transcendent beings on the Ice Ridge Wasteland originates from the Seventy-Two Divine Generals. In any ruin on this continent, during that era, there is no trace of any civilization other than the Monkell Civilization.

So who was the victor?

Could it be a civilization from Beyond the Mist?

Mafat continued, "And this land, in the messages passed down from our ancestors, is also called 'the graveyard of the gods.' It is a cursed land."

"Cursed land?"

Upon hearing this, Rein's mind connected it with certain clues.

Although much of the Kolman Tribe's heritage has been lost, it is far more complete than that of the two great empires.

This explanation gave everyone a clearer understanding.

This continent is the burial ground for the defeated gods of the Monkell Civilization; for some reason, the victorious side completely left this place.

Furthermore, for some reason, after the defeat, this land was suddenly given a "curse".

That might explain why, no matter how much a Transcendent cultivates in the Ice Ridge Wasteland, the fifth rank is the limit!

At this moment, Canossa, who was also a legend, asked with a solemn expression, "Priestess Mafat, with your current level, can you sense that there are higher levels beyond the Fifth-tier Extraordinary?"

After advancing to the legendary level, she clearly felt that the path to Transcendent shouldn't end here. It was like a mountain staircase that suddenly broke before she even saw the summit, abrupt and inexplicable.

"No, it's not possible."

Mafat shook his head, but then said, "Although my current level of power hasn't reached a higher level yet, according to our ancestral legends, our Kolman Tribe once had exceptionally talented individuals who touched upon 'forbidden power' above the fifth rank—a power that, once touched, would bring 'misfortune and calamity'."

Canossa asked in confusion, "Above the fifth rank is 'forbidden power'? And what is 'calamity'?"

Mafat shook his head.

The legends passed down from our ancestors have been circulating for countless years, and no one knows exactly what they refer to.

Hearing this, everyone vaguely felt that the attack had touched the threshold of the truth, but they hadn't taken that step.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe my discovery may explain what that 'misfortune and natural disaster' is."

While everyone was pondering the reason for the airship crash, Old Master Tuster brought it up again.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention turned to him.

Tuster analyzed, "I've examined the damaged main cannon on the airship in detail. It's no longer the kind of gunpowder cannon we commonly see; it has a more complex magic rune energy storage system. Judging from the complexity of the cannon's enchantments and its caliber, its power in a single shot would definitely exceed that of a 'Legendary Transcendent's' full-force attack by many times!"

He paused, then continued, "My analysis is that the airship may have encountered an overwhelming attack and wanted to retaliate. However, the power of the cannons was too great, directly causing spatial instability, which led to a spatial rift that tore the mechanical airship apart, causing it to crash. This spatial rift may be the 'calamity' that Kolman is talking about!"

The old man used a scientific approach to perfectly explain why the airship crashed, the levels of "advanced power," and what exactly "misfortune and natural disaster" were.

Hearing these words, everyone's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a series of clear images immediately formed in their minds: an airship that came from outside the mist encountered the black dragon, and then the "weak" fifth-level Transcendent on the airship was helpless and could only retaliate with super-level cannons. In the end, the energy fluctuation was too great, causing a spatial tear, and the aircraft was destroyed and the crew died!

The top experts in the fields of mechanics, Transcendent, and medicine present at the scene deduced and seemed to have truly uncovered the truth!

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat solemn.

All signs indicate that the unknown civilization beyond the fog is far superior to them.

It's estimated that the few Kolman people present in Mafat can best understand this feeling.

Their tribe had lived happily in the Ashen Forest for generations, until suddenly some invaders appeared from nowhere. Although they were weak in combat, they were numerous and technologically advanced.

It could very well turn into another war that wipes out a civilization.

This deduction silenced the entire conference room, and everyone's faces were filled with solemnity and worry.

At this moment, Ymir, sensing the tense atmosphere, spoke up, "Actually, this matter is not just a crisis for us, but also an opportunity. Since those Beyond the Mist can get in, then perhaps we can get out too!"

Those who can attend this meeting are basically High-tier Extraordinary.

Their path to Transcendent should have brought them to the very end of this world. But clearly, it shouldn't be the end. They could sense that there was still a long way to go before reaching the Fifth-tier Extraordinary, but suddenly it felt like they had reached the edge of a cliff, and suddenly there was no way to step down.

But now, amidst the thick fog surrounding the cliff, they suddenly see a broken bridge leading to an unknown destination.

Some people even jumped across the broken bridge in airships from the other side.

Beyond the Mist, there must be a path to pursue power beyond the fifth rank!

Upon hearing this, even the wise old man Mafat, whose heart was as still as water, had a glint in his eyes.

A frog trapped at the bottom of a well, knowing about the outside world, will always want to jump out and see it.

Upon hearing Ymir's statement, Rein, the "city lord," also shared his thoughts. "Actually, I think Princess Ymir is right. Our Black Dragon City has all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support. Our goal should never be the two great empires, nor is it some City of Radiance. It should be the wider sky beyond the mist."

He paused, glanced at the slightly worried officials, and continued, "Furthermore, I don't think we need to worry too much. Based on the current clues, it seems there's some kind of restriction in this misty world that prevents all beings from exceeding the fifth rank. We are restricted, and so are those outsiders. But from a certain perspective, it restricts us, and it's also our protective barrier."

He was originally a time traveler, and was probably the calmest person among those who heard the news.

This journey through time felt like playing a video game. I initially thought it was a magnificent and Transcendent world, but after some exploration, I discovered I was actually in the starting area. There was a vast and mysterious world outside, full of wonders waiting to be explored!

It was fine before that things were uncertain, but now that they are certain, it gives people a sense of excitement and anticipation to find out more!

Canossa echoed this sentiment, saying, "I also agree with what Lord Rein said!"

She originally sought to reach the highest realm of Transcendent, but after touching upon the "legend," she discovered that it was far from the end.

Now that she has a new goal, her team is full of expectations for the future.

Mafat: "Agreed."

Ilubeck: "Agreed."

Baron: "Agreed."

"."

After everyone discussed it, they felt that the future development goals of "Black Dragon City" were becoming clearer and clearer.

Since they know that the people from outside are at most at the fifth rank, and may even be a level weaker than the fifth-rank combatants in the mist.

If it really comes to war, they are not afraid at all.

The current weakness is the technology of the Mechanical City!

Even if we don't find a way out of the fog, at least we'll have some ability to protect ourselves now that others have broken in.

At that moment, everyone at the conference table turned their attention to Tuster, the top Mechanical Master.

The old man also readily agreed.

He spoke eloquently, saying, "Now that we possess the wreckage of this airship-based Mechanical City, I guarantee that within five years, we can technologically crush any Mechanical City in either of the two great empires, even Omar's so-called highest-tech 'City of Destruction.' Therefore, I agree with what Lord Rein said: our target should never have been the two great empires or City of Radiance."

He paused, then continued, "If the mechanical technology of those people outside the mist is generally at the level of this Airship Wreckage, it wouldn't be difficult for Black Dragon City to catch up, but it would take time. In less than ten years, I think we won't be far behind, if not surpassed. What our territory currently lacks are large-scale forging workshops, large-scale steel mills, large-scale equipment manufacturing production lines, and professional mechanics."

Ymir: "I believe that the construction of the Mechanical City is of paramount importance to our Black Dragon City. From today onwards, all resources within the territory should be directed towards the 'Ministry of Machinery,' and the 'Black Dragon Academy' will begin enrolling students as soon as possible, with priority given to mechanical engineering majors for the first batch of students."

Canossa: "Please provide a list of the materials you need. I will arrange for a caravan to gather and transport the resources as soon as possible."

Everyone: "Agreed!"

Thank you to 'Bookwormhui', 'Silent After the Fun', 'Ieta', and 'Qinglian Daoge' for the 1500 coins, and thank you to 'LX' for the 999 generous donations.